Editor’s note: The opinions expressed by author Jim Forzese are his own and do not necessarily reflect the views of anyone associated with 1Wrestling.com.
WWE Never Learns

I was truly hoping that when HHH took over some of the duties backstage in WWE that maybe HHH learned from all the past mistakes WWE has made through the years and correct them. It now appears to me that the same mistakes are being made yet again and more money is about to be left on the table. I will not completely condemn HHH as I think he has made some positive changes as well, but the one major crime is being done by HHH himself once again. The focus in any wrestling company should be on the wrestling talent. Never should the focus be on a non-wrestler. HHH has taken the spotlight off of CM Punk, the hottest wrestler in the business, and shifted the focus onto himself. HHH is doing his usual spotlight hogging and that is hurting the WWE yet again. Why do we need HHH on TV every week and apart of every major angle? That is poor booking and a cause as to why ratings are slipping after one the greatest promos in wrestling history helped bring the ratings up again.

Yes I understand that USA Network wants the return of “name value” stars but if those “stars” are not going to be wrestling each week and going on the house show circuit then those wrestlers should not be overshadowing the wrestlers that will be. Fans were willing to jump back on the WWE bandwagon after the CM Punk promo but now once again those fans have put the brakes on because they see that things are not changing at all and the ratings are proving this. Fans thought change was finally afoot but as I said, HHH has interjected himself into the spotlight and Punk is now becoming a background player to the new COO. When fans say they want the next Austin vs. McMahon we do not want new characters in the same angle portraying those two, we want the next great angle that was hot like that angle was.

I know HHH does not believe in CM Punk but the fans do and that should be all that matters. HHH needs to check his ego and go with what is best for the company is has a big stake in. HHH already made a poor choice in putting the belt back on Randy Orton yet again even though ratings prove that fans do not care about Orton as champion and are in fact bored by this. Yes fans pop for his entrance but the ratings do not increase for Orton as champion. I have no problem with Del Rio as champion because WWE absolutely needs to create new main event stars, but Orton holding the title again just tarnishes the value of the title belt. Del Rio may not help ratings but Alberto is a good choice for being elevated because Del Rio is a good character that can actually have great matches with almost anyone. When WWE keeps going to the same well over and over, fans will tune out because of sheer boredom, and it appears fans have once again.

It is just too much of the same thing over and over again. WWE makes me think that they are going to make a change in direction only to always fall back doing the same thing after a brief change. I do not want to see another authority figure being the focal point of the show. Maybe for a couple episodes to establish the character but then someone like HHH should not be seen again until something of significance is about to happen that an authority figure needs to interject himself into. WWE just keeps writing the same tired storyline over and over again and that is mainly because the team writing the stories has not really ever changed. Gerwitz, Stephanie, and Vince continually write to Vince’s vision and Vince’s vision has proven to be antiquated at best. WWE was about to strike gold with Punk and now it seems that WWE is satisfied with the little interest boost that WWE received for a week or two.

I still think HHH has a better vision than this but my fear is that this will now become the Stephanie and HHH show. My greatest fear is that the Kevin Nash text was from Stephanie and she and HHH will dominate TV like they once did. HHH is a smart guy and has a great mind for the business but sometimes I believe his ego and fear of losing his spot get the better of him. Too many talents have been held back or released because of these issues. I truly hope this will not happen again but time will tell. Take Raw for example, it appears Cena will go after Del Rio while Punk will be getting involved with Nash and HHH. Like Smackdown with Orton, Cena should be nowhere near the title anymore and Punk should be champion. Cena has the Rock at WrestleMania and the title should be nowhere near that match. Punk should be champion and carrying the company on his back as the hottest wrestler in the business right now, but I fear that HHH wants to get over on Punk instead.

I am glad WWE has pushed the boundaries of the PG rating constraints they are under but I still feel more can be done in that regard. Let more talents cut promos like Cena and Punk are and more top level stars will be created. It will not happen for everyone but reading a script will never elicit the same intensity as speaking from the heart does. The other real issue that will discourage talents is what is happening to Zack Ryder. This poor talent went out and created a character on his own and more importantly got it over on his own, yet Zack gets buried on TV. WWE wants wrestlers to do this very thing yet the one who does gets nowhere so why would that encourage any other talent to do it? Zack Ryder should be getting a major reward for creating a great character, yet Zack is barely on TV and when he is he is buried on TV. Talents will look at this and say why bother trying. That is a bad precedent to set for WWE.

Bottom Line:

I will not throw my hands in the air and completely criticize WWE but I will be skeptical that WWE has not learned from past mistakes. I will let these new angles play out for awhile longer before I pass full judgment but I will say that I am more leery now then I was just a few short weeks ago. Maybe WWE has a long term plan in place that changes the company’s direction and ratings rise significantly but I am nervous about this. I am not fully sure about HHH and his vision of things and I know Vince still calls all the shots but at some point I would hope WWE learns from past mistakes. Corrects them and the company prospers greatly. If WWE does not then the WWE just never learns. You have just read another chapter of the Forzese Files and as always feedback is greatly appreciated.